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They don't come much wider. And as counter intuitive as it may seem, the HR-1 plus appears to out perform the larger Ninja. If you are looking to try something new, why not try the thermalright?AuraAllan wrote:HR-1 plus and HR+2 seems to have pretty tight fin spacing.
Okay. I guess the pictures cheated me regarding the fin spacing.ces wrote:They don't come much wider. And as counter intuitive as it may seem, the HR-1 plus appears to out perform the larger Ninja. If you are looking to try something new, why not try the thermalright?AuraAllan wrote:HR-1 plus and HR+2 seems to have pretty tight fin spacing.
Not enough information.AuraAllan wrote:Hi there.
I'm messing around with a few systems that I want to try out in some cases. Some testing fun
All configurations will have only one fan. A 120mm exhaust fan.
I need a HS thats really good for low airflow as it's going to run semi-passive.
The HS will need to fit 1155, 1156, AM2, AM2+ and AM3 atleast.
So whats a good HS for this?
Sounds interesting. Could you post a picture? I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean.Fire-Flare wrote:I had a totally passive build once. (Minus the power supply) I fastened an ancient CPU card's cooler (the kind with dozens of sharp fingers reaching upward) to a Pentium III and let it be. Got really hot but didn't fry.
True. Totally forgot that. Sorry.dhanson865 wrote:Not enough information.AuraAllan wrote:Hi there.
bla bla bla .... something
What TDP CPU will you be targeting? 25W, 45W, 65W, 95W, higher?
If you are going to buy a low TDP CPU you could use any decent HS fanless. I'm using a X3 720 89W TDP cpu with a Gelid Tranquillo and I just turned the CPU fan off a few minutes ago while typing this. CPU temp hasn't rise much from the mid 30s it normally idles at with the fan running around 350RPM. I could easily leave the CPU fan off if I were using a lower TDP chip or if I were willing to undervolt/underclock a little.Given the new review I thought I'd do a quick price check of the top half of the test results on the temp rise chart. I dumped the ones that were overpriced vs the performance or had mounting issues and came up with this short list. Prices were from a quick google search and include S&H and taxes for my zip code in the US.
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C $66
38 degree rise 790g
Mounts both ways on AMD boards. Editor's Choice, best on SPCR list at end of 2010. Gets a 9.5 on the recommended list.
Noctua NH-U12P $64
39 degree rise 600g without fan / 770g with stock fan
Mounts both ways on AMD boards. Good choice for those that move their PC a lot and are afraid of heavier heatsinks. Gets a 9 on the recommended list.
Scythe Mugen-2 $44
39 degree rise 870g including fan
Mounts with "proper" orientation on AMD boards but only mounts in that one direction. Gets a 9 on the recommended list.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus $29 (best bang for the buck)
41 degree rise 626g including fan
Mounts both ways on AMD boards
Again the Cooler Master 212 Plus is light enough for those afraid of heavier heatsinks. Gets a 8.5 on the recommended list because the stock fan throbs but for a SPCR regular this is easy to fix with a fan swap. Grab your favorite 12cm/120mm fan and make it right.
That list was made before the Noctua NH-C14 review and the NH-C14 hasn't been added to the recommended list. Noctua NH-C14 is $90 shipped to my house so it's certainly not a value heatsink but it is the best top down heat sink and it's very flexible for low clearance and high clearance situations.
Best value only makes sense if you do a search based on the price it takes to get it in your hands and that includes retail price + shipping + tax/VAT + any odd fee someone might tack on + real world considerations like driving to a post office or store or whatever you personally might have to get that device in your hand.
It also matters what hardware you have laying around or already in your PC. If you have a stack of high quality fans you might consider the Hyper 212 Plus a good value, if you have crappy fans and need to step up the Mugen-2 might be cheaper for you than buying a Hyper 212 Plus and buying a better fan.
Only you can decide how much a heat sink would cost you given all the possible variables.
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Heatsink Fin Spacing
Noctua NH-U12P 2.63 mm
Scythe Mugen-2 1.89 mm
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 1.54 mm
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C 1.52 mm
Noctua NH-C14 1.79 mm (horizontal)I don't know. I wouldn't consider a >1kg HS anyway. I just don't like that much weight hanging sideways off my motherboard. That thing is 1100g + bracket weight + fan weight(s) if you choose to use fan(s).AuraAllan wrote:Thank you for the lecture dhanson865
So Noctua NH-U12P > Thermalright HR-02 when running passive?
I know but the case is just barely wide enough to fit the NH-U12P so it will have nowhere to go.dhanson865 wrote:I don't know. I wouldn't consider a >1kg HS anyway. I just don't like that much weight hanging sideways off my motherboard.
Will you use high airflow case fans? Note high airflow does not equal high noise. This is all about practical CFM.AuraAllan wrote:Case will be horizontal so Noctua NH-C14 will not be a good option.
I will run a single 120mm or 140mm in the top cover of the case. Haven't decided on what fan yet.dhanson865 wrote:Will you use high airflow case fans? Note high airflow does not equal high noise. This is all about practical CFM.AuraAllan wrote:Case will be horizontal so Noctua NH-C14 will not be a good option.
If no case fan or very low airflow near the HS then at least the horizontal placement allows convection to work with the heat rising up the fins of the HS.
Of course if you are putting a 120mm or larger case fan near the HS then yes I'd go for a tower so the front back airflow would work with the case fan.
Top cover? is this a HTPC style case or a Antec monster style case with a top fan?AuraAllan wrote:I will run a single 120mm or 140mm in the top cover of the case. Haven't decided on what fan yet.dhanson865 wrote:Will you use high airflow case fans? Note high airflow does not equal high noise. This is all about practical CFM.AuraAllan wrote:Case will be horizontal so Noctua NH-C14 will not be a good option.
If no case fan or very low airflow near the HS then at least the horizontal placement allows convection to work with the heat rising up the fins of the HS.
Of course if you are putting a 120mm or larger case fan near the HS then yes I'd go for a tower so the front back airflow would work with the case fan.
CPU cooler will be ~10cm (3.9") below the fan.
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Heatsink Fin Spacing Height of HS
Noctua NH-U12P 2.63 mm 158mm
Scythe Mugen-2 1.89 mm 158mm
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 1.54 mm 158.5mm
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C 1.52 mm 160.5mm
Thermalright HR-02 162mm
Thermalright HR-01 Plus 159.5mm
Scythe Ninja 3 160mm
Scythe OROCHI 155mm (top down)
Noctua NH-C14 105mm (top down)The case is a Chieftec silver fox .... something something that I will strip of everything and redo everything but the bottom and backside of the case.dhanson865 wrote:Top cover? is this a HTPC style case or a Antec monster style case with a top fan?
If it's HTPC style pizza box how is a top fan going to help a tower style HS with horizontal fins opposing airflow? Not much synergy there.
You said the Noctua wouldn't fit well, if that is the case then the Cooler Master and Thermalright are even taller so they are out as well. The Mugen-2 is the same height so it's out.
I feel exactly the same about Orochi.dhanson865 wrote:The more I look at the Orochi the less I think it's worth messing with.
The case layout is almost 100% the same as this:Fire-Flare wrote:What case will you be using, Allan? We can give better advice if we know its dimensions and layout.
Ah okay. Thats pretty much what I thought you had done. Thank you for the pic.Fire-Flare wrote:And to answer your question, I found a Pentium III on Ebay using the cooler I was talking about. Mine came with used a tiny black one with a LOUD 60mm fan, I used thermal epoxy to mount this passive cooler on it because I didn't have the proper brackets shown in the image.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0535251860
Looks interesting but also suspect. I would wait until you see a few reviews... unless dust is a major issue to you. It looks pretty dustproof to me... wires for fins.AuraAllan wrote:Or what about this: http://www.nofencomputer.com/kor/produc ... _cr132.php
Don't know where I can buy it though.
MikeC had an unkind remark about the HR-02... but didn't say what the issue was.AuraAllan wrote:Okay. I guess the pictures cheated me regarding the fin spacing.
So do I go for HR-01 Plus or HR-02 ?
Why would that matter?AuraAllan wrote:Case will be horizontal so Noctua NH-C14 will not be a good option.
How much height do you have in which to fit the heat sink?AuraAllan wrote:So whats a good HS for this?
Designed for a short stumpy power supply that serves double duty as an exhaust fan? NOT a good candidate for silence. Today's power supplies tend to use temperature to control their fans, additional heat from the system will make it work harder.AuraAllan wrote:The case layout is almost 100% the same as this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/ ... 01side.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/ ... -Scase.jpg
I agree. Also I think it hangs quite a bit out over the edge of the MB.ces wrote:Looks interesting but also suspect. I would wait until you see a few reviews... unless dust is a major issue to you. It looks pretty dustproof to me... wires for fins.AuraAllan wrote:Or what about this: http://www.nofencomputer.com/kor/produc ... _cr132.php
Don't know where I can buy it though.
Unkind remark? I haven't noticed that.ces wrote:MikeC had an unkind remark about the HR-02... but didn't say what the issue was.
The HR-01 Plus has a history of good reviews. Why not just go with it. It is a top tier cooler. You won't be making a mistake.
Wouldn't the fins block the convection "airflow" if the NH-C14 was to be installed in a vertical case?ces wrote:Why would that matter?AuraAllan wrote:Case will be horizontal so Noctua NH-C14 will not be a good option.
I'm pretty sure 160mm is absolute max.ces wrote:How much height do you have in which to fit the heat sink?
PSU will be Seasonic X-400.Fire-Flare wrote:Designed for a short stumpy power supply that serves double duty as an exhaust fan? NOT a good candidate for silence. Today's power supplies tend to use temperature to control their fans, additional heat from the system will make it work harder.
Also, the quietest power supplies use large fans on their top or underside, that case won't let one breathe properly.
It will work just fine either way. With even slow fans the convection won't count. And you have 160mm of space for it. More than enough.AuraAllan wrote:Wouldn't the fins block the convection "airflow" if the NH-C14 was to be installed in a vertical case?
That depends on which way you mount the HS on the CPU. Top down heat sinks with heat pipes are OK to be mounted in 3 of the 4 possible directions. Assuming the mounting kit will let you rotate the HS then you just have to pick one of the 3 acceptable orientations that allows the fins to be oriented how you want without making the end of the heat pipes face down.AuraAllan wrote:Wouldn't the fins block the convection "airflow" if the NH-C14 was to be installed in a vertical case?ces wrote:Why would that matter?AuraAllan wrote:Case will be horizontal so Noctua NH-C14 will not be a good option.
Okay but I would still prefer a tower style heatsink in this case.ces wrote:It will work just fine either way. With even slow fans the convection won't count. And you have 160mm of space for it. More than enough.AuraAllan wrote:Wouldn't the fins block the convection "airflow" if the NH-C14 was to be installed in a vertical case?
I'll read the Thermalright UE rev. C and NH-U12P reviews again and then think about it for a while before taking an educated guess.dhanson865 wrote:That depends on which way you mount the HS on the CPU. Top down heat sinks with heat pipes are OK to be mounted in 3 of the 4 possible directions. Assuming the mounting kit will let you rotate the HS then you just have to pick one of the 3 acceptable orientations that allows the fins to be oriented how you want without making the end of the heat pipes face down.
"For AMD installs, two metal retention bars are secured to the stock backplate with screws and the C14's spring-loaded bolts attach to them. On AMD boards the heatpipes point to the side so in a typical tower setup the fins run vertically. In this orientation an exhaust fan at the top of the case is more beneficial than at the rear."
"Intel mounting holes being symmetrical, you can turn the cooler so that the heatpipes point toward the bottom or top of the board."
So it sounds like you can't rotate it on AMD motherboards.
I like the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C and Noctua NH-U12P because they tested well on SPCR and they mount in more than one orientation on AMD motherboards.
Keep in mind though if your case isn't optimal the orientation of fins might be a minor issue that is less important than the heat pipes and other factors of the HS.
In a perfect world you'd buy two or three Heatsinks, build and test each one for a week (including testing different orientations per HS) and then give us your results several months from now. Unfortunately that requires time and money so you probably will have to make an educated guess and go for it.
You just can't make a mistake with the HR-01 Plus. You will get top tier performance out of it without a fan, semi passive, or with two 500 rpm slipstreams on it or with a 12 volt Nexus on it. If you are going to go with a tower, just use it.frenchie wrote:I'd vote for the HR-01 plus.
